So all those billions of dollars and not a dime to expand Metra's electrification? The CNW-W will be doing 80 TPD, which is damn close to NJT's NJCL, and the CNW-NW line isn't too far behind. EMUs, or at least ALP46As hauling around those Gallery cars would make it lot easier for Metra's trains to get out of UP's way, especially on the West line. Hell, the Milwaukee West line is at about 78 trains per day right now, and the Rock Island is just behind the CNW-NW line for TPD. If the NJCL justified an extension of electrification then surely Metra's lines are approaching the same level of service.

And why the hell are they persisting with this O'hare Express pie-in-the-sky scheme? They have a commuter network. Hell, they have a pretty goddamn good commuter network and the Metra North Central line passes within a quarter mile of the airport. Are they completely blind to what London, Frankfurt, and other cities have done with combined Metro/Commuter/Intercity rail connections to their airport? They need to break their fixation with one mode and explore alternate possibilities. A mile long tunnel from the NCS line under the International Terminal and on to the main terminal along with a few extra tracks and some flying junctions cannot possibly approach the extreme cost of the proposed Blue Line improvements for the express service.